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CONGRESSMAN BRAD ELLSWORTH

As the 8th District's Congressman, Brad Ellsworth is continuing his career-long commitment to put Hoosiers first. In Congress, he is a member of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Coalition and is working to reduce waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars. He also sits on the Armed Services, Agriculture, and Small Business Committees.

Before coming to Congress, Brad spent 24-years in the Vanderburgh County Sheriff's office protecting the people of southwest Indiana. He was twice decorated for heroism in the line of duty and graduated from the FBI National Academy. In 1998, Brad was elected Vanderburgh County Sheriff, where he completed two terms. Brad was born and raised in southern Indiana. He grew up in Evansville; attending University of Southern Indiana and Indiana State University. Brad and his wife, Beth, reside in Evansville. Together they have a daughter, Andrea.

Today, following the signing of the Wall Street Reform bill which will help protect Hoosier investors from having their life savings, 401Ks, and college funds gambled away by a few unscrupulous Wall S... MORE

Today, as Hoosier businesses continue to climb out of this recession, Brad Ellsworth voted to provide tax relief for U.S Manufacturers to help them compete in the global economy: “For too long Ho... MORE

Featured Issue: Healthcare

Skyrocketing costs have forced many small businesses to either shift the growing cost of their insurance programs to their employees or eliminate their health plans altogether. The result: the majority of workers haven't seen any increase in their buying power in the last decade, since any additional compensation is quickly absorbed by their increasing health insurance premiums. Read More

Date Roll Bill Vote More Votes >
Dec 01 595 h res 1724 Yea
Dec 01 594 h res 1217 Aye
Dec 01 593 h j res 101 Yea
Dec 01 592 h res 1430 Aye
Dec 01 591 h res 1735 Aye
Dec 01 590 h con res 323 Yea
Dec 01 589 h res 1741 Yea
  • EVANSVILLE DISTRICT OFFICE
    101 NW Martin Luther King Jr Blvd Room 124 Evansville, IN 47708 T 812.465.6484 | F 812.422.4761
  • TERRE HAUTE DISTRICT OFFICE
    901 Wabash Avenue Suite 140 Terre Haute, IN 47807 T 812.232.0523 | F 812.232.0526
  • WASHINGTON, DC OFFICE
    513 Cannon House Office Bldg Washington, DC 20515 T 202.225.4636 | F 202.225.3284 Toll Free 866.567.0227

Working Hoosiers

American workers have been the driving force behind our economy throughout our history. Hardworking men and women who play by the rules deserve to be treated fairly by their employers and their government.

Fighting for Fair Pay
I was proud to support a well-deserved raise to 140,000 minimum wage workers in Indiana. Until we took action last Congress, the minimum wage had not been increased in over a decade. And over those years, the $5.15 hourly wage had been eroded by inflation, reducing the buying power of a worker's paycheck to its lowest point in 30 years.  This long overdue pay raise will provide Hoosiers some relief by ensuring they receive at least $7.25 per hour. 

Women in the workforce also face a significant challenge: Today, American women make an average of 77 cents for every dollar men earn working the same job. In a country built on the promise of equality for all, this disparity is unacceptable.  That's why I voted for the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which gives all American employees the ability to seek recourse for illegal pay discrimination within a reasonable time period-a right taken away from many workers in the recent Supreme Court decision Ledbetter v. Goodyear. 

Of course, one way Congress can ensure workers are paid fairly is to keep the U.S. out of bad trade deals. I recognize we live in a global economy, and I know Hoosier workers can compete with anyone in the world as long as they are on a level playing field.  Unfair trade agreements create great hardships for working Hoosier families by giving preferential treatment to countries that ignore forced labor in sweatshop conditions and other violations of international labor law. That's why I will scrutinize every trade deal that comes before Congress to keep more jobs here at home and ensure American businesses won't be forced to slash wages and benefits to compete in the global market.

Keeping Workers Safe
Some jobs will always be more dangerous than others, but American workers should be able to go to work each day knowing that someone is working to keep them safe. 

Thousands of Hoosiers work in Indiana coal mines every day. Unfortunately, we can never eliminate all mine accidents, but we can take steps to make these workplaces safer and increase successful rescue efforts when accidents happen. That's why I offered an amendment to the S-MINER Act last Congress to establish a Mine Safety Trust Fund. The Fund will ensure that every coal mine in the country receives the safety inspections necessary to keep coal miners safe.  My amendment, which passed the House unanimously, will mean millions of dollars more available for mine inspections at no cost to taxpayers. 

Of course, other industries have their own dangers.  Manufacturing plants in almost every sector of our economy produce various forms of combustible dust, which can become fuel for plant fires or explosions if it is not cleaned and disposed of appropriately.  While effective safety and health standards are available to provide guidance to plant managers in how to avoid a combustible dust accident, these standards are currently only voluntary.  Unfortunately, too many employers have ignored these standards, leading to 119 worker deaths and over 700 serious injuries in recent years.  I voted to hold plants with combustible dust accountable for providing a safe workplace by following these basic standards.    

Preserving Worker Benefits
For decades, the unemployment insurance program has served as an effective safety net for millions of American workers who have lost work involuntarily and are looking for their next job. In today's weakened economy, the percentage of workers who have exhausted their regular unemployment compensation is higher than at the start of the past five economic recessions. And many experts believe extending unemployment benefits is an important economic stimulus tool to get America's economy back on track. I have consistently supported providing extended unemployment benefits for workers who have exhausted the traditional benefit period.

Sometimes Congress also needs to hold private companies accountable for how they treat their workers.  When I learned that some military contractors were using shell corporations in the Cayman Islands to avoid paying taxes for their American employees, I authored the Fair Share Act.  This bill was signed into law by President Bush, closing the loophole these corporations had used to cheat the federal government and leave their workers without the benefits they earned.